More Like Trampled by Awesome

This show was so great for so many reasons. One of the primary reasons for the greatness of this show was the company that I shared the show with. You see I saw this show with an awesome lady, she asked not to be name dropped but she knows who she is. A show is always better when shared with good company and this was the best possible company I could have asked for. I kind of want to say more but you guys aren’t here for the romance, you’re here for the music, and oh god what music it was.

So, uh, you guys are you familiar with Trampled by Turtles? Aside from having quite possibly the greatest band name in the world they kick all kinds of musical ass every single night and last night was no exception. I bring them up here because I’m kind of wondering if you’ve heard Wait So Long? Because it’s 147 kinds of incredible. Which is not to say the rest of their music isn’t great it’s just that…well, here just watch:

See, that’s some great stuff right there. I honestly can’t understand how anyone anywhere could dislike that song. It just pushes so hard and compels you to stomp your feet or claps your hands. It’s just too damn good.

So, what about the rest of the show? For that I guess I should begin at the beginning.

With every passing week and every show I’ve attended it’s becoming more and more clear to me that my decision to see the openers at these shows is a good one. Hell I’m even starting to think that all those years spent going to a show just in time to see the headliner were a terrible waste. So many of the openers I’ve seen this year have not only been worthwhile they’ve been exceptional. Brown Bird was no exception. This acoustic duo out if Rhode Island was simply exceptional from beginning to end. It can be very difficult for an opening act to command the attention of the crowd but command it Brown Bird did by playing honest soulful music.

She played the violin, the upright bass and the cello. He played the guitar and the banjo. He also drove the percussion with a pair of foot pedals one attached to a bass drum and one attached to a wood block. The pairing of instruments changed from song to song but the heart and soul they poured into their performance did not. One of the things they did, which I am a huge fan of, was incorporating a lot of tempo shifts into their songs. A song would start on a nice slow stray crawl for the first few verses before exploding into an upbeat powerhouse only to be brought back down to that same slow crawl moments before. I think it takes a lot of talent as a musician to pull off tempo changes like that and they did them seamlessly and often. It was beautiful and highly entertaining.

These two have a lot of shows coming up in a lot of different states. You should go and see them do their thing. It will look like this only more live:

This was an insane and eventful show. Eventful because the violin player broke a string, the band did shots provided by the audience, and there was a wedding proposal on stage right before the encore. It was exceptionally cool of the band to allow for that and for what it’s worth it appeared that she said yes so it worked out. The show was insane because of the crowd. I would like to say I don’t know what it is that draws so many crazy people to Trampled by Turtles shows but I do know what it is. It’s amazing music and lively performances. Trampled by Turtles tends to breed insanely devoted fans simply by being who they are and doing what they love. There is a certain kind of beauty in that. I might actually go so far as to say that anyone who sees Trampled by Turtles live will instantly become a fan. Maybe you won’t be as crazy or as devoted as some of the others but you’ll want to see them again. They’re just that good.

Of course I don’t know that I agree with the near mosh pit we had going on, or the way some of the fans just completely disrespect the slow songs by talking through them. I get that the slow songs aren’t boot stomping extravaganzas but damn it Bloodshot Eyes is an incredible song and you should really shut the hell up and just revel in it. Or at least don’t stand right next to the stage when you’re doing your jabbering. It’s rude as hell.

Trampled by Turtles seems to bring everything they have every single night, how they manage to do this night in and night out for the duration of a tour is beyond me but it is a sight to behold. There isn’t much else I can say really. See them, as soon as possible of not sooner. You will wonder at the speed with which they play, at the emotion they evoke, at the people around you partying their asses off. And you will love every minute of it.